Ash - 'Twighlight Of The Innocents' (Infectious Records 02/07/07

You know you’re getting old when suddenly you look up and everyone’s favourite teen rockers are releasing their fifth album.

For the love of God, what’s next? The Arctic Monkeys eschewing booze fuelled benders in favour of Horlicks and a Countdown omnibus? In reality, Ash have done anything but mellowed with age as, after splitting with guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, Twilight of the Innocents sees the band set loose on a spring break-esque freedom frenzy recalling the anthemic halcyon days of their debut album.

Whilst not being the all-consuming talking point of the album, Hatherley is still conspicuously absent, particularly with all the rumours flying round over the nature of the Ash divorce. Still, the girl’s on fire flying solo and so the show goes on for the remaining male Ash members. It’s quite a show too. Launching us straight into the good shit, I Started A Fire is vintage Ash – ear-bleatingly loud, melodically ripe for tequila soaked sing-a-longs and reminiscent of everything you loved about debut 1977 back in the day.

Apparently as fellow 90s idol D:Ream would have it, things can only get better, and pleasingly Twilight of the Innocents does just that. Oddly, leading single You Can’t Have It All sounds rather uninspired next to its sonic neighbours, especially when contrasted with second single Polaris, a classic lighters-aloft power ballad, complete with soaring strings and booming piano. Mark our words, five pints down the Rose & Crown and it’ll have even the most hardened wannabe Mitchell bros sobbing into their London Prides and texting their exes.

Always one for a winning melody, singer and guitarist Tim Wheeler has struck gold again. One notable musical difference between Twilight and previous records is that Ash have picked up some keyboards somewhere along their way. Dark and Stormy, for example, is an organ driven, rhythmic, erm stormer. However, rather than the fresh faced schoolboy rock heard the last time they made a record as a trio, this one proves they’ve been round the block a few times, met a few more girls than just those from Mars and maybe even taken a few naughty rock ‘n’ roll substances too. There’s grit and sophistication behind those cheeky riffs, and nothing demonstrates this better than the title track and album closer which could masquerade as a Bond theme and has an epic rock-out that will turn Matt Bellamy green at the gills.

Twilight of the Innocents indeed, Ash are still as endearing as gambolling spaniels, but this time have armed themselves with an arsenal of robust tunes on their return to testosterone trio-dom.